This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Develop Your Data Mindset Module 3 - Aligning Answerable Questions With School Initiatives Part 1 - Aligning Answerable Questions With School Initiatives By Nathan Anderson, Amy Ova, Wendy Oliver, and Derrick Greer This material is based upon work supported by the National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R372A150042 to North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the National Center, Institute, or the U.S. Department of Education.
Learning Goals ● Increase knowledge of school initiatives requiring data use
SLDS Data Use Standards ● K.2.D Data context: Knows the circumstances and purposes for which data are collected
Teacher Thought If I understand different data types and the core purposes they serve, then I can continue to use data effectively even if political initiatives are changed or renamed.
Overview By now, you’re aware of common data types in educational settings, types of inquiry methods that require data, standards for effective data use, and the A+ Inquiry framework for putting standards into action. In this module, we’ll narrow into a focus on school initiatives that require the application of the data utilization standards through an inquiry framework for assessment and/or evaluation purposes.
Activity Ryan Kelly: I hope you thoroughly had time to digest what we discussed earlier today, as we will be revisiting some of it. First, please select a dessert as you get settled for the second half of in-service. What do you call this type of cookie? ● Snookies ● Choco-Rama ● Chocolate Chip Crunchies ● Chocolate Crunch Delights
Activity - Answer What do you call this type of cookie? ● Snookies ● Choco-Rama ● Chocolate Chip Crunchies ● Chocolate Crunch Delights Actually, any of these is correct. We have come a long way with the name of this great treat thanks to Tollhouse!
School Initiatives Requiring Data Ryan Kelly: Not only have chocolate chips been known by other names, but so have education initiatives. Initiatives such as ESEA, NCLB, and NDMile have all come and gone, but that doesn’t mean today’s PD session is a band-aid for the newest initiative. The good news is that data is data no matter what you call it. So, just like when you see the cookie below, you know it is chocolate chip, no matter what it is called, if you know how to recognize data and then interpret and apply it, you don’t have to juggle the acronyms. Although names change, best practices do not. Good instruction is good instruction, and it requires a core understanding of data practices. For example, formative data - no matter what the title, is designed to help you interpret data “for learning,” and summative data, no matter whose philosophy is used, is in place to help you understand data “of learning.”
School Initiatives Requiring Data Ryan Kelly: Not only have chocolate chip cookies been known by other names, but so have a lot of our best practices with data. Remember, ND Mile, RTI, AdvancEd, Positive Behavior Supports (PBS), Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS), RTI-Academic (RTI-A), and RTI-Behavior (RTI-B)? Whew – that was a mouthful, but just like the name of America’s favorite cookie, they really are all names of initiatives grounded in assessment and evaluation. So, although some of the names we discuss in this module may not sound familiar to you, the processes or applications will be. And, trust me, just like a cookie by any name, it tastes just as good with milk! Not only that, but for those of you who like a healthier treat for dessert, we will bring in some apples a little later to examine the core of all of our processes. Either way you fulfill your sweet tooth, during this half of our in-service session we will cover the MOST important concepts that people usually tend to skip (if only I could skip dessert) when learning about or understanding data and how it can apply to improved student outcomes.
Activity Ryan Kelly: Data exists to help answer important questions which leads to improved knowledge about something. For example, you had enough data about the chocolate chip cookie just from looking at it, regardless of name, to know that it was a chocolate chip cookie. If we begin with a question in mind, we set the stage for disciplined inquiry and limit the risk of wasting efforts and resources on things like data hoarding, purposeless analysis, and mindless decision making. For example, in order to differentiate reading instruction for your students this school-year what is a question you might ask? ● How many students are in my classroom? ● What is each student’s reading level? ● Do my students enjoy reading? ● What genre of literature is best for the grade I teach?
Activity - Answer Ryan Kelly: For example, in order to differentiate reading instruction for your students this school-year what is a question you might ask? ● How many students are in my classroom? ● What is each student’s reading level? ● Do my students enjoy reading? ● What genre of literature is best for the grade I teach? If you know this, then you can differentiate your instruction to meet individual needs.
School Initiatives Requiring Data Ryan Kelly: While it seems like common sense to need to know each student’s reading level in order to differentiate instruction, this key piece of data would allow you to assign an article that is available at different reading levels to your students. You could answer the question using data collected through a standardized reading assessment and then assign the appropriate article level to each student. And for that you get a cookie! You quickly identified the need to know more about student performance and found the answer to your question. You took efficient action based on an evidence based decision instead of an arbitrary, mindless decision. But, how do we move from mindless decision making to evidence-based decision making throughout the classroom and the school?
School Initiatives Requiring Data Ryan Kelly: But how did we get from identifying the need to know more about student performance to finding the answer to our question, allowing us to take action so quickly? In other words, how do we get from point A to point Z? RTI A Z Mindless decision Evidence-based AdvancED making decision making MTSS
School Initiatives Requiring Data Ryan Kelly: While you get a cookie for determining how to find out the answer to individualizing instruction for your students so quickly, there are actually several steps in place that we follow in order to answer our data questions or in the case to identify the RTI. For those of you who prefer a sweeter dessert, having data is icing on the cake.
NDMTSS Ryan Kelly: NDMTSS is the skin. NDMTSS stands for North Dakota Multi-Tier System of Supports . It includes the elements of RTI, but it also emphasizes making data-based decisions within a school setting for an array of assessment and evaluation purposes that extend beyond the scope of RTI. The NDMTSS framework ensures schools have adequate infrastructure and support mechanisms in place to carry out necessary work with data.
AdvancED Ryan Kelly: AdvancED is a school improvement framework or process required by ALL districts in The State of North Dakota that focuses on using data to inform decisions; therefore, it aligns well with NDMTSS’ focus on making data-based decisions. Through the AdvancED process, schools conduct an internal review using student learning data, self assessment data, and stakeholder perception survey data to create a quality improvement plan. Specifically, the AdvancED framework requires schools to use data from a variety of sources for purposes of identifying needs, setting goals, and implementing strategies and other actions to make improvements.
RTI Ryan Kelly: RTI stands for Response to Intervention . The core of our work with data is to determine how to differentiate instruction for students based on their individual needs. This allows teachers to personalize instruction, ultimately improving student outcomes. RTI is a framework for identifying and supporting students with academic or behavior needs. In the RTI process, all students go through universal screening, which helps identify those who may be at risk for poor learning or behavior outcomes. Students are assessed, progress monitored and an intervention is put into place for students who are confirmed “at risk.” RTI fits within the NDMTSS framework.
Assessment and Evaluation Ryan Kelly: The core of everything we will be focusing on over this school year and today, even, is grounded in evaluation and assessment . The common questions we are going to focus on are aligned with the NDMTSS, RTI, and AdvancED “brands.” Although there are several different types of data in school settings -- such as demographic, student learning, perception, school process, and behavior data -- given the scope of our time, we will focus primarily on the use of student learning data. Student learning, or academic, data are accumulated through assessments like the reading assessment you suggested that would allow you to differentiate instruction by providing different levels of the same article to your students.
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